Invincible: A Shocking New Take on the Classic Superhero Story
When my roommates told me they wanted our next viewing project to be an animated superhero show, I was ... hesitant. An adult cartoon? Those aren’t really my thing. Eventually I gave in because, after all, I had forced them to watch Survivor with me.
I told myself that one episode wouldn’t hurt. I like superhero movies, and the animation style kind of looked like Scooby-Doo. Before I knew it, I finished the season - and I’m about to tell you why you should give it a try, too.
I hadn’t read the comics or even a summary of the show before starting Invincible. The cast was what first drew me in. It’s one of the most impressive casts I’ve seen on an animated project since Ice Age 3. Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Sandra Oh lead the pack, with Mark Hamill, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Jason Mantzoukas, and many more making appearances.
The series, based on a comic by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, follows seventeen-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) as he figures out how to navigate high school, relationships, and being the son of the world’s most powerful superhero, all while learning to use powers of his own. In each episode, he teams up with other heroes to vanquish evil from the planet. Trouble is brewing, however, when we find out his dad may not be as heroic as he seems.
Episode 1 immediately sets the tone for the show. We begin at the White House, where two guards converse about their personal lives only to be interrupted by the Mauler Twins (Kevin Michael Richardson), a pair of massive, villainous clones busting through the ground. All of the sudden, we’re in the midst of an action-packed fight scene featuring the greatest heroes this universe has to offer: the Guardians of the Globe, who protect the world from intergalactic evil (a purposeful rip-off of Justice League). This fight scene gives viewers a sample of the many battles you’d expect from a superhero show, with each attack intricately animated for our viewing pleasure.
This scene is also where we’re introduced to Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), this world’s Superman. When he’s not on the job, he’s Nolan Grayson, a loving husband to Debbie (Sandra Oh) and dedicated father to Mark. Mark looks up to his father, especially when it comes to his emerging powers. Their relationship develops throughout the season but is built on Nolan’s dedication to teaching Mark how to be a hero, which proves to be more difficult than it looks.
When I saw that the show was “for mature audiences only,” I was intrigued. I knew the show was aimed at adult viewers, but I couldn’t imagine what that really meant aside from a few crude jokes here and there. But guys — this show is gory. I wasn’t hit with it right away, but by the end of episode one, my jaw was on the floor. If you think ending the introductory episode with a bloodbath is bold, just wait until the finale. Some of the fight scenes in this show rival Mortal Kombat finishing moves.
What makes Invincible different from other grisly shows is that it never goes too far just for the sake of gore. All of the shocking, disgusting, and truly horrifying violence serves a purpose in the story. It makes me think that the gore is the main reason the adaptation is animated — seeing that in live-action would simply be too much for my poor, squeamish eyes. The sound design drives it home further, making me question the ethics of the Foley artists. How else are you supposed to recreate the sound of a man literally being ripped apart with nothing but bare hands?
In my opinion, it’s best to go into Invincible knowing nothing. If you’ve read the comics, you may approach the show differently than I did. While I can’t say much about how true the show was to the comics or highlight any easter eggs, I can say that it was a lot of fun to watch because I didn’t see the twists coming. Each episode left me wanting more, even after the season concluded.
SPOILER ALERT!
As I delve into some of these twists, beware of spoilers. If you plan on watching the show, please stop here (or proceed with caution)!
As I mentioned, the first of many twists arrives at the end of episode one, as Omni-Man murders the Guardians in a grotesque display of immense strength and heartlessness. This scene immediately hooked me, leaving me to ponder whatever the hell just happened while the credits rolled. It was a shocking dive headfirst into the main storyline, immediately undermining my expectations of who Omni-Man is supposed to be.
While exploring the fallout of Omni-Man’s actions, Invincible excellently weaves together a number of different subplots, ranging from college tours to life on Mars, without sacrificing the main plot or character development. We’re introduced to a variety of characters, whose stories leave viewers invested and entertained. This balancing act between subplots and the main plot keeps things from stagnating, developing the show’s universe beyond what seems capable in only eight episodes.
It’s not all action, though. In my opinion, some of the best moments are those that seem more mundane. Debbie and Nolan’s crumbling relationship and Mark’s flakiness with his friends, for example, show how much attention to interpersonal realism and detail went into this show (despite a super unrealistic sci-fi plot). Their interactions are genuine and relatable, keeping viewers emotionally invested.
Where the show truly excels, however, is its subversion of popular tropes. Most superhero media (read: Marvel, DC) shows our beloved heroes somehow triumphing over all evils, despite the circumstances that get in the way. On the other hand, Invincible is not afraid to leave our heroes bloodied, broken, and traumatized, reminding us that winning is not as easy as we want to believe it is.
As the season progresses, it’s made apparent that we can never truly trust what we believe about our heroes, a point that is brutally driven home by the finale. In the end, Omni-Man finally explains why he killed the Guardians — as a Viltrumite, his true purpose is to weaken and enslave planet Earth. He has put on an act for years, saying Debbie was “like a pet to him” and he had never truly been the man Mark grew up to admire.
Mark doesn’t believe it at first. How could his father, his hero, turn out to be his greatest enemy? Both Mark and the viewers want to believe that someone must be controlling him, and that maybe seeing the damage he’s done to his only child will somehow trigger a change of heart. Maybe in another show this would happen, and the season would end with Omni-Man turning against his duty to conquer and destroy Earth. Instead, we see him reduce his son to a bloody pulp, nearly killing him, before flying off into space, easily becoming the most heartbreaking scene in the show, if not in the history of superhero media.
To put it simply, Invincible is a black sheep among the commercialized superhero stories we know so well. It takes many of the superhero tropes that viewers are used to and flips them, leading to many unexpected twists and crushing emotional moments. Through good writing, great pacing, a stellar cast, and brilliant animation and sound design, this show is able to convey what many additions to the superhero genre have forgotten: there are powerful people that are not clear-cut villains or heroes. Heroes to some are villains to others. There is a dark side to being a hero that many shy away from — mass casualties and destruction, all at the hands of those who try to save the day.
And the good guys? They don’t always win.
Invincible is available for streaming now on Amazon Prime.
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